Ice tray having readily removable cover



1968 CARL-GUSTAF' NORBERG 3,414,229

ICE TRAY HAVING READILY REMOVABLE COVER Filed .July "3, 1966 2 Sheets-Sheet l Q. k F

INVEN TOR.

@Arroxwer 1968 CARL-GUSTAF NORBERG 3,414,229

ICE TRAY HAVING READILY REMOVABLE COVER 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed July 6, 1966 Q5) mw.

mrromwsr SQN LS E /Q 6\ United States Patent 3,414,229 ICE TRAY HAVING READILY REMOVABLE COVER Carl-Gustaf Norberg, Bauhagen, Sweden, assignor to Aktiebolaget Electrolux, Stockholm, Sweden, a corporation of Sweden Filed July 6, 1966, Ser. No. 563,206 7 Claims. (Cl. 249-121) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A removable flexible cover which overlies an ice tray having an outward flaring rim at the open top thereof, a resilient U-shaped section of the cover extending about the periphery thereof having a closed end contacting the outermost edge of the rim and spaced arms respectively contacting the top and bottom surfaces of the rim, the aforementioned resilient U-shaped section having adjacent portions separated from one another and a resilient inverted L-shaped section which extends between and bridges the separated U-shaped sections and has a vertical arm contacting the outermost edge of the rim and a horizontal arm contacting the top surface of the rim.

My invention relates to ice trays, and more particularly to ice trays having flexible covers.

In recent years mobile trailers and similar vehicles have been provided with electrically operable refrigerators which are adapted to be operated by electrical energy derived from the electrical systems of the vehicles while traveling from place to place. During hot weather it is desirable to operate the refrigerators while traveling, so that ice cubes can be produced for serving cold beverages. The ice cubes usually are formed by freezing water in shallow open top trays having partition members therein. The trays desirably are placed in good heat conductive relation with the surfaces of a cooling unit of the refrigeration apparatus.

It has been the practice heretofore to produce ice cubes in shallow open top trays while the mobile trailers and like vehicles are parked rather than in motion. This is so because, when the trays are initially filled with water to be frozen, the water splashes from the trays when the vehicles are in motion, and this is especially true when traveling on a bumpy road. Accordingly, it has been necessary to operate the refrigeration apparatus before starting a trip or while making a stop for the special purpose for freezing water in the trays to prevent spilling of water therefrom while traveling, which is objectionable.

While a shallow open top ice tray obviously can be provided with a metal cover and detachable fasteners for locking the cover on the open top of the tray with a gasket therebetween, a construction which is like that employed for covering cooking vessels, for example, this is subject to the disadvantage that ice formed in the closed space defined by the tray and the cover tends to freeze to the underside of the cover. Since water often is not available when traveling in certain places, the ice bond can not be broken by pouring water on the cover and this necessitates some delay in effecting release of the cover to obtain the ice cubes, which also is objectionable.

It is an object of my invention to provide a flexible cover for a shallow open top ice tray which can be effectively employed to produce ice cubes in the tray while the mobile trailer or similar vehicle is in motion, and which is readily removable from the tray so that the ice cubes formed therein can be used without delay. I accomplish this by providing a flexible cover which is adapted to overlie the open top of the ice tray and includes a resilient U-shaped section which extends about the periphery of the cover and has a closed end and a pair of arms extending therefrom. The closed end of the U-shaped section of the cover is in intimate physical contact with the outermost edge of an outward flaring rim at the open top of the ice tray, and the spaced arms respectively are in intimate physical contact with the top and bottom surfaces of the rim when the cover is removably positioned on the rim of the tray.

The resilient U-shaped section of the cover has adjacent portions separated from one another, and the cover includes a resilient inverted L-shaped portion which extends between and bridges the separated adjacent portions of the U-shaped section of the cover. The inverted L-shaped section has a vertical arm in intimate physical contact with the outermost edge of the rim of the tray and a horizontal arm in intimate physical contact with the top surface of the rim when the cover is removably positioned on the rim of the tray. By providing the inverted L-shaped section on the cover between the separated adjacent portions of the U-shaped section of the cover, the resiliency of the regions of the U-shaped section which are adjacent to the inverted L-shaped portion is promoted.

The above and other objects and advantages of my invention will become apparent from the following description and accompanying drawing and the various features of novelty which characterize my invention are pointed out with particularity in the claims forming a part of this specification.

In the drawing, FIG. 1 is a bottom perspective view of an ice tray cover embodying my invention; FIG. 2 is a top plan view of the cover shown in FIG. 1 and an ice tray to which it is detachably connected; FIG. 3 is a vertical sectional view, partly broken away, taken on line 33 of FIG. 2; FIG. 4 is a fragmentary sectional view taken on lines 4-4 of FIG. 2; and FIG. 5 is a fragmentary bottom plan view, partly broken away, of the cover shown in FIG. 1.

In FIGS. 3 and 4, I have shown an open top ice tray 10 having a bottom 11 and an upstanding side wall 12. The ice tray 10 is of rectangular form having a pair of opposing side walls 12a and a pair of shorter end walls 12b. The upstanding side wall 12 terminates in a rim 14 which flares outward at the open top of the tray 10. The tray 10 has substantially right angle corners wth adjacent sides of the rim abutting one another at the corners at 14a.

A cover 15 is adapted to overlie the open top of the tray 10 and includes a distortable flat center section 16 and a resilient U-shaped section 17 which extends about the periphery of the cover. The U-shaped section 17 has a closed end 18 and a pair of spaced arms 19 and 20 extending therefrom. The arm 19 is in the same plane as the center section 16 of the cover and merges with the latter. The arm 20 is below the arm 19 and is vertically spaced therefrom and extends toward the center area of the center section 16. When the cover 15 is removably positioned on the rim 14 of the tray 10, the closed end 18 of the resilient U-shaped section 17 is in intimate physical contact with the outermost edge 14b of the rim 14 and the spaced arms 19 and 20 respectively are in intimate physical contact with the top and bottom surfaces and 14d of the rim.-

Adjacent portions 17a and 17b of the resilient U-shaped section 17 of the cover 15 are separated from one another at opposing ends of the cover. The cover 15 further includes resilient inverted L-shaped portions 22 at the ends thereof which extend between and bridge the separated adjacent portions 17a and 17b of the U-shaped section 17. Each of the inverted L-shaped sections 22 includes a vertical arm 22a and a horizontal arm 22b which is in the same plane as the center section 16 of the cover and merges with the latter. When the cover 15 is removably positioned on the rim 14 of the tray 10, the vertical arms are in intimate physical contact with the outermost edge 14!; of the rim 14 and the horizontal arms 22 are in intimate physical contact with the top surface 140 of the rim.

In view of the foregoing, it will now be understood that the resilient U-shaped section 17 of the cover 15 extends lengthwise of the cover at opposing sides thereof and around the corners and terminates at spaced apart regions A at the left-hand end of the cover and at spaced apart regions B at the right-hand end of the cover. The space between the regions A defines the extent to which the adjacent portion 17a and 17b of the resilient U-shaped section 17 are separated at the left-hand end of the cover 15. The space between the regions B defines the extent to which the adjacent portions 17:: and 17b of the resilient U-shaped section 17 are separated at the right-hand end of the cover 15.

The inverted L-shaped sections 22 at the ends of the cover bridge the separated sections 17a and 17b of the resilient U-shaped section. By providing the inverted L- shaped sections 22 at the ends of the cover 15, the latter can be readily positioned on and removed from the rim 14 of the tray in spite of the fact that the resilient U-shaped section 17 at opposing sides of the cover extends between the points A and B thereof. In order to facilitate removal of the cover from the tray, the right-hand end of the cover may be provided with a tab 23 which extends outward from the bottom or lower end of the vertical arm 22a and is disposed substantially in the plane of the cover. The tab 23 can be readily grasped and manually flexed upward to distort the right-hand end of the cover 15 and effect its release from the rim 14 of the tray 10.

By providing the cover with resilient inverted L-shaped sections 22 at the opposing ends thereof, I have found that the resiliency of the U-shaped section 22 at the corners of the cover 15 is promoted, thereby facilitating the mounting and removal of the cover 15 on and from the rim of the tray. This is particularly important when the cover 15 is relatively narrow and the corners at opposing sides thereof are relatively close to one another.

The flexible cover 15 may be formed of any suitable resilient material, such as plastic, for example, which possesses such physical properties that the cover is selfsustaining. By way of example, the cover 15 may be formed of a fiuorinated synthetic material comprising a polymerization product of tetrafluoroethylene.

While a particular embodiment of the invention has been shown and described, such variations and modifications are contemplated as fall within the true spirit and scope of the invention, as pointed out in the following claims.

I claim:

1. The combination with an open top ice tray having a bottom and an upstanding side wall terminating in a rim which flares outward at the open top thereof, of a flexible cover which is adapted to overlie the open top of the tray and includes a resilient U-shaped section which extends about the periphery of the cover and has a closed end and a pair of spaced arms extending therefrom, the closed end of the U-shaped section being in intimate physical contact with the outermost edge of the rim and the spaced arms respectively being in intimate physical contact with the top and bottom surfaces of the rim when the cover is removably positioned on the rim of the tray, the resilient U-shaped section of the cover having adjacent portions separated from one another, and the cover including a resilient inverted L-shaped section extending between and bridging the separated adjacent portions of the U-shaped section of the cover, the inverted L-shaped section having a vertical arm in intimate physical contact with the outermost edge of the rim and a horizontal arm in intimate physical contact with the top surface of the rim when the cover is removably positioned on the rim of the tray.

2. Structure as set forth in claim 1 in which the tray is of rectangular form having substantially right angle corners and the rim has four sides, adjacent sides of the rim abutting one another at the corners, and the resilient U-shaped section of the cover being at least at two adjacent corners of the rim and the resilient inverted L-shaped section being disposed between the two adjacent corners of the rim when the cover is removably positioned on the rim of the tray.

3. Structure as set forth in claim 1 in which the tray is of rectangular form having substantially right angle corners and the upstanding wall includes a pair of opposing side walls and a pair of opposing shorter end walls adjacent sides of the rim abutting one another at the corners, the resilient U-shaped section of the cover being at least at two adjacent corners of the rim at one end wall of the tray, and the inverted L-shaped section being disposed between the two adjacent corners of the rim at the one end wall of the tray when the cover is removably positioned on the rim of the tray.

4. Structure as set forth in claim 2 in which the cover is provided with a tab which is substantially in the plane of the cover and extends outward from the periphery thereof.

5. Structure as set forth in claim 4 in which the tab extends outward from the resilient L-shaped section of the cover.

6. Structure as set forth in claim 3 in which the cover is provided with a tab which is substantially in the plane of the cover and extends outward from the periphery thereof at an end wall of the tray when the cover is removably positioned on the rim of the tray.

7. Structure as set forth in claim 6 in which the tab extends outward from the periphery of the cover at the end wall of the tray opposite to the one end wall having the inverted L-shaped section when the cover is removably positioned on the rim of the tray.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,476,910 12/1923 Naugle 249121 X 2,932,386 4/1960 Ushkow 249121 X 3,104,065 9/1963 Towns 249121 X 3,374,982 3/1968 Sallade 249-121 J. HOWARD FLINT, JR., Primary Examiner. 

